Man arrested 30 years after murder of couple

An 86-year-old man has been taken into custody in connection with the 1993 murders of a husband and wife at their farmhouse in Llanharry, Rhondda Cynon Taf. Harry and Megan Tooze were discovered dead at their rural home, Ty Ar y Waun, on July 26, 1993; both had sustained fatal shotgun wounds.

South Wales Police reopened the cold case for forensic review in 2023, leading to the recent arrest. The victims, Harry, 64, and Megan, 67, were found in a cow shed on their property.

The suspect is currently in police custody. Detective Superintendent Mark Lewis, the senior investigating officer, stated that the investigation remains active despite the arrest. He acknowledged the lasting impact of the case and emphasized the ongoing pursuit of answers surrounding the Toozes' deaths. Lewis urged anyone with information, regardless of the passage of time, to contact the police.

The Toozes' movements on the day of their deaths were pieced together by investigators. Harry, a retired fruit wholesaler, and Megan drove their Land Rover to a Tesco in Talbot Green for their weekly shopping on the morning of Monday, July 26, 1993. They also stopped to collect their pensions. They were seen returning to their farm around 11:00 GMT. Neighbors reported hearing two gunshots around 13:30, but this was not considered unusual for a farm.

The discovery of the bodies occurred after the couple's daughter, Cheryl, became concerned when her daily phone call to her parents went unanswered that evening. She contacted a neighbor, Owen Hopkins, who found no sign of them and suggested calling the police. Upon arrival, officers discovered the Toozes' bodies in a cow shed. Detectives determined that both victims had been shot in the back of the head from close range, approximately three feet, before being covered with carpet and concealed under hay bales. Investigators believe the couple were killed elsewhere and then moved to the cow shed.

In 1995, Cheryl Tooze's boyfriend, Jonathan Jones, was convicted of the murders and sentenced to life in prison, but his conviction was later overturned on appeal. Jones, a self-employed recruitment consultant, had told police he was off work the day of the murders, claiming he had traveled to Orpington, Greater London, to look for office space. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. police were unable to verify his alibi. His partial thumbprint was found on a cup and saucer in the Toozes' living room. He was arrested in December, five months after the murders. Cheryl Tooze supported Jones, even moving in with his family in Caerphilly after his arrest.